Comparing the numbers to the Gamecube numbers at this time in its life is ridiculous to me. There are so many differing factors.

The Gamecube had several big-hitters within its first few months, increasing early numbers. The Wii U has seen a slow trickle of releases, none of which are Smash Bros.

The gaming demographic as a whole was much younger back then, so a lot of people could only afford to have whatever one system their parents would buy for them. This led to more people having to choose what they wanted right off the bat. It also led to people more harshly judging the Gamecube based on its appearance. The Wii U might not look as "grownup" as its competition, but its not a purple lunchbox. And with so many more people into gaming, we're seeing more people have money to buy multiple systems. But as adults they're still better with their money, so they know when they can afford to wait on a purchase. They're going to wait until the Wii U is a good enough deal. Right now the library just doesn't appeal to everybody.

I'm not even saying that I'm certain it will sell more than the Gamecube (I'm pretty sure it will, but that's not the point I'm trying to make). I'm just saying that basing anything on how it's "trending" is completely stupid. Graphs go up and down based on what happens. Picking two points on the graph and seeing that the line goes down and making a decision based on that is pointless. Comparing this generation to two generations ago, when everything was waaaay different, is just silliness.

And anyone who calls it "Gamecube 2" after only a year on the market is a h8ah who don't know shee-it.

Which is Clearly397's point.

Gc and ps3 launched late in europe, ps3 missing  those months  played a huge role on why early ps3 numbers looked so bad, while the GC was just a huge bomb in europe selling less then a million every a year there.

1] The GC could produce much better games tech wise compared to the GBA. People would buy both systems. 3DS & Wii U aren't that different and releasing "upgraded" (questionable) versions of 3DS games will do nothing for the Wii U.

2] The Gamepad hinders the system's selling potential rather than helping it by increasing its price but not value. (In the eyes of consumers it would seem)

3] People still don't know (or care to know ) what a "Wii U" is. Is it a new system, an add on, or an upgraded Wii?

4] The marketing is terrible. They used to have no commercials. This Holiday, I've seen a ton but all of them make me feel like I shouldn't buy one if anything. It's fine that they want to market it to kids & family's but those commercials are in a word, annoying.

With that said, Wii U could still outsell the GC if Nintendo pulls it together. Many people will eventually pick it up when the time is right. It's an extremely small poll but people I know (and myself) would normally have the new Nintendo console by now but don't because of lack of games. We all plan to jump on it when SSB4 arrives.

I don`t think the comparison is really fair to Wii U.
Although Wii U`s situation in mainly Nintendo`s fault, can´t overlook how different GC`s situation was at the time.
Basically, it sold 468k on a 149$ price point and a catalog of 1st/2nd party and 3rd party exclusive releases that puts Wii U to shame.
Not to mention the momentum that Wii U completely lost this year and the brand confusion.

Given all that, Wii U couldn`t do much better than it did this November.

Again, basically, Nintendo`s errors determined this outcome.